Hur data från marknadsbetingelser påverkar företagens ekonomistyrning -med fokus på spelbranschen

Bakgrund och problemdiskussion: Kritiken mot den traditionella ekonomistyrningen tog sin fart i början av 1980-talet. Idag talas det allt mer om ett externt fokus. Flertalet författare argumenterar för vikten av att vara ett marknadsorienterat företag som förstår sin omgivning och anpassar sin ekonomistyrning därefter. Författarna har samlat dessa vikiga externa faktorer under begreppet marknadsbetingelser. Det omfattar faktorer inom omvärld, kund och konkurrent. Utifrån denna diskussion har nedanstående problemformulering vuxit fram: Vilken är relationen mellan marknadsbetingelser och ekonomistyrningens utformning och användning? Syfte: Syftet med studien är att kartlägga och identifiera företagens marknadsbetingelser inom områdena kund, konkurrent och omvärld för att därefter förklara dess koppling i form av utformning och användning till ekonomistyrningen. Avgränsningar: Studiens utgångspunkt har avgränsats till företag inom spelbranschen. Författarna har lovat att inte uppge namnet på studerade företag enligt deras egna önskemål. Metod: Författarna har haft en kvalitativ ansats med semistrukturerade intervjuer för insamling av empirisk data. Intervjuer genomfördes med fem respondenter, vilka i två av företagen bestod av både marknadschefer och controllers och i det tredje av CFO. Resultat och slutsatser: Utvalda marknadsbetingelser i denna studie är omvärlds, konkurrent, och kund. De formella styrmedel som mest frekvent återkommer ingår i den traditionella ekonomistyrningen och består av budgetering, prestationsmätning samt produktkalkylering. Den mest frekventa användningen av ekonomistyrning är vid framtagning av beslutsunderlag och vid ansvarsstyrning

An improved mosquito electrocuting trap that safely reproduces epidemiologically relevant metrics of mosquito human-feeding behaviours as determined by human landing catch

Background: Reliable quantification of mosquito host—seeking behaviours is required to determine the efficacy of vector control methods. For malaria, the gold standard approach remains the risky human landing catch (HLC). Here compare the performance of an improved prototype of the mosquito electrocuting grid trap (MET) as a safer alternative with HLC for measuring malaria vector behaviour in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Methods: Mosquito trapping was conducted at three sites within Dar es Salaam representing a range of urbanicity over a 7-month period (December 2012–July 2013, 168 sampling nights). At each site, sampling was conducted in a block of four houses, with two houses being allocated to HLC and the other to MET on each night of study. Sampling was conducted both indoors and outdoors (from 19:00 to 06:00 each night) at all houses, with trapping method (HLC and MET) being exchanged between pairs of houses at each site using a crossover design. Results: The MET caught significantly more Anopheles gambiae sensu lato than the HLC, both indoors (RR [95 % confidence interval (CI)]) = 1.47 [1.23–1.76], P < 0.0001 and outdoors = 1.38 [1.14–1.67], P < 0.0001). The sensitivity of MET compared with HLC did not detectably change over the course of night for either An. gambiae s.l. (OR [CI]) = 1.01 [0.94–1.02], P = 0.27) or Culex spp. (OR [CI]) = 0.99 [0.99–1.0], P = 0.17) indoors and declined only slightly outdoors: An. gambiae s.l. (OR [CI]) = 0.92 [0.86–0.99], P = 0.04), and Culex spp. (OR [CI]) = 0.99 [0.98–0.99], P = 0.03). MET-based estimates of the proportions of mosquitoes caught indoors (P i ) or during sleeping hours (P fl ), as well as the proportion of human exposure to bites that would otherwise occurs indoors (π i ), were statistically indistinguishable from those based on HLC for An. gambiae s.l. (P = 0.43, 0.07 and 0.48, respectively) and Culex spp. (P = 0.76, 0.24 and 0.55, respectively). Conclusions: This improved MET prototype is highly sensitive tool that accurately quantifies epidemiologically-relevant metrics of mosquito biting densities, behaviours and human exposure distribution

Theoretical investigation of Rare-Earth doped optical materials : Optimization and Prediction

Rare-earth (RE) doped optical materials are distinguished by their unique optical and electronic properties. These characteristics are essential for various applications, including laser stabilization, and phosphors. However, the sensitivity of these materials to environmental factors and intrinsic defects necessitates a deep understanding. Grasping how these factors influence the refractive index, absorption coefficient, and emission spectra is vital.This thesis delves into the effects of external loads on substitutional defects in laser host materials. We employ both first principles and additional theoretical methods for our investigations. While we cover materials from both the Orthosilicates and Orthovanadate categories, we place special emphasis on Y$_2$SiO$_5$ (YSO). This is due to its rising significance in applications like laser stabilization and quantum memory.Our discussion is split into two primary sections: ground-state and excited-state properties. In the ground-state section, we introduce a framework to comprehend variations in an optical cavity's optical path. This is especially relevant when the refractive index changes because of mechanical stress, affecting its resonance frequency. Through this lens, we explore the inherent properties of Eu-doped YSO. Our insights span its mechanical and thermodynamic properties, leading us to a multi-scale approach. Our understanding extends to the effects of temperature and pressure, resulting in the identification of two essential ratios: dn/dP and dn/dT. These are vital for RE-doped YSO laser applications.For the excited-state properties, our focus shifts to the transition energy of the RE dopant within the host material. Current methods for studying the excitation of RE ions in these materials often encounter issues such as extensive computational demands and dependence on empirical data. We underline that techniques like GW+BSE and AIMPs aren't universally applicable to all RE-doped materials. Instead, we advocate for the use of constrained DFT (cDFT), combined with hybrid DFT and spin-orbit coupling (SOC). This method pinpoints the 4f ground state position with less dependence on empirical data, offering a more efficient alternative to the Dorenbos model. It promises the potential to unveil new phosphors and provides a comprehensive analysis of RE-doped laser materials

Breast Self – examination Predictors based on Precede Model: a study on female active health volunteers in Zarand City

Background & Objectives: Breast cancer is still the most common malignancy leading to women mortality worldwide and late diagnosis of breast cancer is still one of the main causes of death in affected women. One of the ways of early detection of breast cancer is breast self – examination. The aim of this study was to determine predicting factors of breast self - examination in female active health volunteers of Zarand/ Iran based on Precede model. Methods: In this descriptive- analytical study, all participants of active heath volunteer program in health centers of zarand (110 women) were recruited. Data were collected using a researcher – made questionnaire consisted of two sections of demographic information and constructs of Precede model. Data were analyzed through SPSS22 and by using descriptive statistics (distribution and central tendency, frequency and percent) and analytic statistics (logistic regression). Results: Mean age of participants was 37.76 ± 9.75 years and 81.8 % of them were married. Among Precede constructs, predisposing factors (self-efficacy: OR=1.46 and knowledge: OR=1.30) had the highest predicting role. Performing breast self - examination showed significant relationship with level of education (OR=0.01), family history of breast cancer (OR=0.02) and marital status (OR=0.04). Conclusion: Since predisposing factors were the most important predicting factors for breast - self-examination, in planning health education programs, more attention should be paid to improving women's self - efficacy and increasing their awareness about breast self – examination. Key¬words: Breast Self - Examination, Precede Model, Predicting, Health Volunteers Citation: Khaleghi Mahani H, Fadakar MM, Ahmadi Tabatabaei SV, Mirzai M, Poursharifei A. Breast Self – examination Predictors based on Precede Model: a study on female active health volunteers in Zarand City. Journal of Health Based Research 2017; 3(1): 71-85

Development and evaluation of mosquito-electrocuting traps as alternatives to the human landing catch technique for sampling host-seeking malaria vectors

Background The human landing catch (HLC) is the gold standard method for sampling host-seeking malaria vectors. However, the HLC is ethically questionable because it requires exposure of humans to potentially infectious mosquito bites. Methods Two exposure-free methods for sampling host-seeking mosquitoes were evaluated using electrocuting surfaces as potential replacements for HLC: (1) a previously evaluated, commercially available electrocuting grid (CA-EG) designed for killing flies, and (2) a custom-made mosquito electrocuting trap (MET) designed to kill African malaria vectors. The MET and the CA-EG were evaluated relative to the HLC in a Latin Square experiment conducted in the Kilombero Valley, Tanzania. The sampling consistency of the traps across the night and at varying mosquito densities was investigated. Estimates of the proportion of mosquitoes caught indoors (P i ), proportion of human exposure occurring indoors (π i ), and proportion of mosquitoes caught when most people are likely to be indoors (P fl ) were compared for all traps. Results Whereas the CA-EG performed poorly (<10 % of catch of HLC), sampling efficiency of the MET for sampling Anopheles funestus s.l. was indistinguishable from HLC indoors and outdoors. For Anopheles gambiae s.l., sampling sensitivity of MET was 20.9 % (95 % CI 10.3–42.2) indoors and 58.5 % (95 % CI 32.2–106.2) outdoors relative to HLC. There was no evidence of density-dependent sampling by the MET or CA-EG. Similar estimates of P i were obtained for An. gambiae s.l. and An. funestus s.l. from all trapping methods. The proportion of mosquitoes caught when people are usually indoors (P fl ) was underestimated by the CA-EG and MET for An. gambiae s.l., but similar to the HLC for An. funestus. Estimates of the proportion of human exposure occurring indoors (π i ) obtained from the CA-EG and MET were similar to the HLC for An. gambiae s.l., but overestimated for An. funestus. Conclusions The MET showed promise as an outdoor sampling tool for malaria vectors where it achieved >50 % sampling sensitivity relative to the HLC. The CA-EG had poor sampling sensitivity outdoors and inside. With further modification, the MET could provide an efficient and safer alternative to the HLC for the surveillance of mosquito vectors outdoors. Keywords: Mosquito electrocuting trap; Human landing catch; Mosquito behaviour; Vector sampling tools; Outdoor biting; Malaria; Anopheles arabiensis ; Anopheles gambiae s.l.; Anopheles funestus s.l

Operational risk quantification and insurance

Risk management

The Effect of the Hydroalcoholic Extract of Persian shallot(Allium Hirtifolium boiss) on Albumin Glycation

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